South Korean opposition party leader Lee Jae-myung was stabbed in the neck with a knife on Tuesday, January 2, by a man who pushed through a crowd, pretending to be his supporter, the police said. Surrounded by journalists and supporters at a construction site in the southern port city of Busan, Lee was attacked, as shown on South Korean television channels.
Bleeding but conscious, he was rushed to a local university hospital and later flown to Seoul for surgery, according to an official from his party. The assailant, a man in his 60s, used an 18-centimeter knife, purchased online, said Busan police officer Son Je-han at a press briefing. The suspect, displaying a pro-Lee slogan, was wrestled to the ground and arrested. His motive is under investigation.
A witness told local broadcaster YTN that the 59-year-old Lee was “walking to his car while talking to reporters when the attacker asked for his autograph.” He collapsed to the ground, and people rushed to aid him after the attack.
Kwon Chil-seung, an MP from Lee’s Democratic Party, condemned the incident outside the hospital in Busan, stating, “This is an act of terror against Lee and a serious threat to democracy that should never occur under any circumstances.”
Lee, who lost in the 2022 presidential race to conservative Yoon Suk Yeol in South Korea’s tightest election, is expected to run again in 2027, with recent polls indicating he remains a strong contender. The attack comes after Lee’s presidential bid was marred by scandals, including escaping arrest in September on various corruption charges. Trials for bribery linked to a firm’s suspicious $8 million transfer to North Korea and breaching duties, causing a $15 million loss, still await him. Lee denies all the allegations.
Miroslava Salazar, with AFP
